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Iran has asked the US for a ceasefire but Washington will only consider it when the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
In a post on Truth Social that included renewed military threats, Mr Trump said Iran's new president was less “radicalised” than previous leaders.
“Iran’s new regime president, much less radicalised and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a ceasefire,” he wrote.
“We will decide when the Strait of Hormuz is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion – or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages.”
Now in its fifth week, the conflict has seen Mr Trump oscillate between expressing optimism for diplomacy and threatening further escalation.
On the first day of US-Israeli strikes, Iran's longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.
His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has since taken over as the new leader, although he has yet to appear in public. Iran's president has been Masoud Pezeshkian since 2024.
It was unclear from Mr Trump's post if he was referring to Mr Pezeshkian when he spoke of a “new regime president”.
A central issue for the Trump administration is the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Iran has maintained a blockade of the waterway, driving up energy prices and drawing sharp criticism from Mr Trump, who has tied his domestic political standing to economic performance.
Rising oil and gas prices, already being felt in the US, could pose a challenge for Mr Trump ahead of midterm elections later this year.
On Tuesday, he criticised Nato allies over what he described as a lack of support, while insisting Washington does not need their help.
He has also argued that the US does not directly benefit from the strait.
Mr Trump is expected to deliver a prime-time address on Wednesday evening to provide what he called an “important update on Iran”.
American television networks were instructed to set aside 20 minutes to air Mr Trump's message.
